THE EARLY TRAIN.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1784, 24 April 1874, Page 4

THE EARLY TRAIN.

[d anbury news.] how mb and mrs prince passed an ANXIOUS NIGHT. The early morning train from Danbury leaves at half-past 6. This is a very seasonable hour in tha summer, when people are stirring, birds carrolliug their melodies, and the incense from the newly awakened flowers filling the air and inspiring the senses. But in the winter time with animal and vegetable life dead, the air raw and chilly, the matches mislaid, and a gloomy darkness wrapping the face of the earth as if with a pall, half -past 6 o'clock a.m. is a very unreasonable and disagreeable hour, and the man who has occasion to leave home on that train may easily be pardoned the uneasiness unavoidable the day before. Our legal friend, Prince, received information on Friday which made it necessary that he should be in New York before Saturday noon. He contemplated the early start with some misgiving and determined to make the best preparations for it by getting to bed early. Some people would not have thought of this, and remained up until their usual hour, and have either overslept themselves or have awakened nnrefre&hed or depressed. Mr Prince went to bed at 9 o'clock and got to sleep about half-past 11 . When he awoke it was at the earnest solicitation of Mrs Prince's toes, which were digging vigorously into his back, while Mrs Prince's hauds and Mrs Prince's voice were otherwise engaged in his interests. Mr Prince jumped up at once, and inquired the time, which Mrs Prince was not able to inform him exactly, but was quite confident by the general feeling and looks that it was hard on the car time. Mr Prince snatched up his clothes at this, and flew into the sit-ting-room, and straightaway got into his clothes, and then examining his watch, found that it was ten minutes past 12. 'By cracky' said Mr Piiuce, and immediately returned to bed, and encasing his head beneath the clothes, preserved a moody silenco in answer to Mrs Prince's inquiries. It finally dawned on that excellent lady that the hour was too early, and she soon went to sleep. But there was no immediate sleep for her husband. He felt gloomy and dissatisfied, and seemed weighed down with the impression that he was to miss the train in spite of all he could do to avert the calamity. He carefully reviewed hi 3 past life, arraigning himself as a student, a lawyer, a citizen and a husband, to Bee if there was anywhere in his record an act, a word, or a thought, which by the finest ingenuity could be diatored into a crime for which this loosing the train might be considered a fitting judgment. But in vain he went over the past for such a provocation, and, finally assigning the cause to a dispensation of fate none of us can avert, he, too, fell asleep. When he awoke again he found Mrs Prince's hands at his shoulder, and Mrs Prince's voice in his ear. and a vivid impression on his mind that the train had gone, or that the whistle would sound before he could get out of bed. But he arose and hurried into the sittingroom, with a shuw of interest, and drawing on his clothes, again consulted his watch with an air of desperation, and ascertained that it was just 2 o'clock. He didn't say, 'By cracky,!' this time. But it is no matter what he said. He skipped back to the bedroom without any loss of time, and appeared before Mrs Prince with a lamp in one hand and a lot of clothes in the other, and with a good deal of fire in his eye. But he blew out the light in silence, and then getting back into bed, gloomily urged hernotto do that again or her officiousness might cost her pain. The next time he aroused himself. It was 4 o'clock. This was a little earlier than was absolutely necessary, but for fear of missing the train he remained up. First carofully dressing himself, he kindled the fire in the kitchen, and thought of the excellent breakfast he was to carry with him, while Mrs Prince lay and slept. At half-past 7 she awoke of her own accord, and pictured to herself during the toilet the aching void he would carry with him through the streets and metropolis. Then she thought of the vexation, and the tears came into her eyes. And then she went into the kitchen, and was struck motionless at the sight before her. For there was Prince, with a carpet-bag clutched tightly in one hand, and a roll of legal documents in the other, sitting bolt upright in a chair— fast asleep. Astonished and confused at this spectacle, and hardly knowing what she was doing, Mrs Prince got the woman in the other part of the house to arouse Mr Prince, while she stole to her mother's to see about something.